Givers, Doers, & Thinkers—A Podcast on Philanthropy and Civil Society

This week on Givers, Doers, & Thinkers , Jeremy Beer sits down with William A. Schambra to explore the tension between establishment philanthropy and what he calls “everyday philanthropy”—the grassroots efforts that often go unnoticed but play a vital role in strengthening civil society. They discuss the influence of progressivism on modern giving and why top-down approaches can miss the real...

This week on Givers, Doers, & Thinkers , Jeremy Beer sits down with Nathan Bond, co-founder of Rifle Paper Company, to explore entrepreneurship, education, and philanthropy. Nathan reflects on how his personal experiences have shaped his approach to giving, the importance of clear criteria in philanthropy, and why investing in local communities remains essential. Let’s go! Sponsored by AmPhil,...

This week on Givers, Doers, & Thinkers , Jeremy Beer sits down with Romanita Hairston, CEO of the M.J. Murdock Charitable Trust, to explore the power and challenges of regional philanthropy. Reflecting on the legacy of Jack Murdock, Romanita shares how the Trust is investing in nonprofits through capacity building, leadership training, and a deeply relational approach to grantmaking. They disc...

This week on Givers, Doers, & Thinkers , Jeremy Beer sits down with Sadie Elliott, Director of the Herzog Foundation, to explore how innovative philanthropy is transforming K–12 Christian education. They discuss the challenges facing Christian school leaders, the importance of treating donors as mission-driven partners, and the measurable impact of strong donor development on long-term sustain...

This week on Givers, Doers, & Thinkers , Jeremy Beer sits down with Destiny Rojo of the PY Foundation to explore how place-based giving can transform a community. Rooted in the legacy of Peyton Yates, the Foundation is deeply invested in Artesia, New Mexico—supporting everything from education and public art to economic development and nonprofit growth. Destiny shares how local philanthropy st...

This week on Givers, Doers, & Thinkers , Jeremy Beer sits down with Hanna Skandera, President and CEO of the Daniels Fund, to discuss the urgent need for renewed civics education as America approaches its 250th anniversary. Building on the legacy of Bill Daniels, Hanna shares how the Fund is investing in initiatives like the Civics Bee to inspire active citizenship and civic knowledge among yo...

This week on Givers, Doers, & Thinkers , Jeremy Beer sits down with Rob Hays—business leader, philanthropist, and nonprofit board member. Rob reflects on the experiences that shaped his resilience in business and his approach to philanthropy. They also dive into his work with institutions like the Ethics and Public Policy Center and the Aquinas Institute, and unpack what boards get right and w...

This week on Givers, Doers, & Thinkers , Jeremy Beer sits down with Steve Zabilski, president and CEO of the Virginia G. Piper Charitable Trust, to explore how investing in fundraising and capacity can transform nonprofits. Drawing on his experience leading St. Vincent de Paul in Phoenix, Steve shares how bold bets on development and marketing led to sustained growth for the organization and i...

Season 9 of Givers, Doers, & Thinkers launches this Wednesday, April 8! 🎉 This season, we’re celebrating the “Givers”—foundation leaders and individual donors who are transforming our country by giving to charities and organizations making a real difference. Join us as we explore why they give and where they choose to make an impact. Let’s go! Sponsored by AmPhil, helping nonprofits advance t...

This week on Givers, Doers, & Thinkers , Jeremy Beer sits down with Eric Cook, president and CEO of the Society for Classical Learning, to discuss the remarkable rise of classical education and its impact on American schooling. Eric unpacks the philosophy behind classical learning—its focus on wisdom, virtue, and human flourishing—and explains why so many families are turning to this timeless...

This week on Givers, Doers, & Thinkers , Jeremy Beer speaks with David Bobb, president of the Bill of Rights Institute, about the pressing need to revitalize civic education in America. Together, they explore how a deeper understanding of American history and civic virtue can strengthen citizenship and civil society. Bobb discusses the Institute’s mission to provide teachers with balanced, hig...

This week on Givers, Doers, & Thinkers , Jeremy Beer sits down with Dr. John Rhee, co-founder of the Hippocratic Society, to explore how the medical profession can recover its moral and spiritual roots. They discuss the challenges facing today’s healthcare professionals—from burnout and loss of meaning to the erosion of moral formation in medical education—and why healing must once again be un...

This week on Givers, Doers, & Thinkers , Jeremy Beer sits down with Peter Murphy, senior advisor at the Invest in Education Foundation, to explore the growing movement for education freedom and school choice in America. Their conversation dives into the origins of Invest in Education, the lessons learned from the COVID-19 pandemic, and the new federal legislation—the Educational Choice for Chi...

This week on Givers, Doers, & Thinkers , Jeremy sits down with Richard Avramenko (Arizona State University), Justin Dyer (University of Texas at Austin), and Josh Dunn (University of Tennessee)—three professors leading new civic education initiatives at major public universities. They discuss the rise of civic schools, the challenges of ideological homogeneity in higher education, and why stud...

This week on Givers, Doers, & Thinkers , Jeremy Beer talks with Andrew Laubacher about the silent epidemic of digital addiction and what it’s doing to our mental health—especially among young people. Andrew shares his journey from social media burnout to working for Humanality , a movement helping people reclaim their lives from their screens. They dig into the psychology behind smartphone dep...

This week on Givers, Doers, & Thinkers, Jeremy Beer talks with Pastor Corey Brooks about his mission to transform one of Chicago’s most underserved neighborhoods through Project Hood. From launching a leadership and economic opportunity center to building a classical Christian school, Pastor Brooks shares how education, job training, and conservative values can drive lasting community change....

This week on Givers, Doers, & Thinkers, Jeremy Beer sits down with Cary Sanders of JumpStart and Ralph May of St. Vincent de Paul in Boise to talk about what it really takes to break the cycle of incarceration. They share personal stories of re-entry, the challenges returning citizens face, and how their organizations are building paths to rehabilitation through community support, employment,...

This week on Givers, Doers, & Thinkers, Jeremy Beer talks with Joel Penton about how LifeWise Academy brings Bible education to public school students—legally—during school hours. They dive into the 1952 Supreme Court decision that makes it possible, the role of local communities in launching programs, and how a small nonprofit exploded from 2 schools to over 1,100 in just a few short years. ...

This week on Givers, Doers, & Thinkers, Jeremy Beer speaks with Pano Kanelos about why he launched the University of Austin (UATX), what’s broken in American higher education, how UATX blends liberal arts with real-world skills, and why academic freedom needs defending.  Let’s go!  Sponsored by AmPhil, helping nonprofits advance their missions and raise more money: https://amphil.com/. #interv...

Season 8 of Givers, Doers, & Thinkers is here! This special three-part season dives deep into the past, present, and future of American exceptionalism as we look ahead to America’s 250th birthday. This season, we're spotlighting "Doers"—the bold leaders and innovative organizations tackling some of the country’s biggest challenges: from higher education and prison reform to reli...

Jeremy speaks with Patrick Deneen about the ambiguities inherent in the American founding, the differences between progressive liberalism, classical liberalism, Marxism, and conservatism, and how our elites mask their eliteness. Sponsored by AmPhil, helping nonprofits advance their missions and raise more money: https://amphil.com/. #interview #podcast #newepisode #nonprofit Center for Civil Socie...

Jeremy speaks with Wendy Wang about the evolving state of marriage and family in America as we approach the semiquincentennial, what the lack of good jobs for men is doing to the marriage market, and, most alarmingly, what a shockingly high percentage of Gen-Zers are looking forward to an AI boyfriend or girlfriend. Sponsored by AmPhil, helping nonprofits advance their missions and raise more mone...

Jeremy speaks with Aaron Renn about his influential book, Life in the Negative World . They speak about his framework for understanding the three eras in which American Evangelicals have found themselves in the post-war context—the positive world, the neutral world, and the negative world—and we talk about the decline of institutions, Evangelical strategies for surviving and flourishing in the neg...

Jeremy speaks with Joshua Hochschild about the principle of subsidiarity, the idea of the order of charity, and the challenges presented by contemporary technology. Sponsored by AmPhil, helping nonprofits advance their missions and raise more money: https://amphil.com/. #interview #podcast #newepisode #nonprofit Center for Civil Society's YouTube Channel

This week on Givers, Doers, & Thinkers, Jeremy is joined by political scientist and philanthropic leader James Piereson, who discusses his time at the helm of the Olin Foundation and William E. Simon Foundation. They also discuss the impact of conservative philanthropy since Reagan, the successes and missteps of conservative philanthropy during that time, what the future holds for the conserva...